Jesse Lansing
Jesse Ryan Lansing is one of the main characters and the deuteragonist of the Beauty of the Dark series. He is the best friend, love interest, and husband of Emery Atwood. Early Life Jesse Ryan Lansing was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 7, 1992 to Robert and Gillian Lansing. When he was one, his mother and his older brother "went out for a drive and never came back", leaving Jesse and his father. From then on, Jesse was quiet and reluctant to become close to anyone in fear of chasing them away, as he believed he was the reason his mother left and didn't take him with her as well. This behavior continued up until he was six, when he, his father, and his step-mother moved to Amherst, Virginia. Here, he met similarly aged Emery Atwood, and the two soon became inseparable. Emery eventually became aware of his mother leaving him and his father, a topic that Jesse often steered clear from. However, when Emery's parents unexpectedly died in a car accident, he became more open to discussing it as the two found comfort in sharing their grief together. Jesse noticed a change in Emery since her parents had died, but recognized that death was far more difficult to overcome than abandonment. As they entered their senior year of high school, he saw a new hopeful and optimistic side to Emery that he hadn't seen since her parent's deaths as she been accepted into her dream school, Hollins University, where she planned to attend with her two best friends Lorena and Jasmine, while majoring in Creative Writing. This string of hope, however, didn't last long as Emery suddenly ran away from home without telling anyone, and the two wouldn't cross paths for four years. During these four years, Jesse had graduated high school and enrolled at the University of Virginia, majoring in Management. However, he soon dropped out due to his father's cancer diagnosis. His father, due to his illness, stepped down from the family company and was succeeded by Jesse as CEO of Lansing Construction Company in early 2012. In The Novels |-|The Beauty of the Dark= |-|Where There Is Light= Personality Ever since his mother left when he was two, Jesse has had a fear of losing anyone else. Specifically, he projected this fear onto his relationship with Emery in that he rejected his growing feelings toward her during high school in attempt to prevent losing her friendship. When Emery ran away during their senior year, Jesse was devastated since he had not only lost his best friend but the girl he had fallen for. Throughout high school and his late teens, Jesse slept around with random women in attempt to fill the missing void of love that he didn't get from his mother When the two reunited in 2015, he did everything possible to make sure he didn't lose her again. Physical Appearance Relationships Appearances Name First *'Jesse' is a masculine name of Hebrew origin that means "gift". Middle *'Ryan '''is a masculine name of Irish Gaelic origin that means "king". Last *'Lansing''' is a surname of English origin that means “family or followers of”. Trivia *The meaning of his name symbolizes that he is a gift to Emery in that he helps her heal and gives her true happiness. Quotes Tropes Gallery Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Main Characters Category:The Beauty of the Dark Characters Category:Where There Is Light Characters Category:Parents Category:Lansing Family